Last week Oregon Governor Kate Brown gleefully signed into law a progressive statewide minimum wage increase. It will be phased in over the next six years, starting this July. “I’m proud to sign into law my top priority of the 2016 Legislative session — raising the minimum wage,” Brownsaid in a statement. She said the new law “is a path forward – so working families can catch up, and businesses have time to plan for the increase.” Plan to close down or lay off half their staff maybe.

The current Oregon minimum wage is $9.25/hour. I say progressive because the area of the state will determine the base “living wage.” If one works in rural Oregon the wage will increase to $12.50/hr. – small cities and towns, $13.50 and large cities like Portland, the hourly minimum wage will top out at $14.75.

But as is beingreported, some are still not satisfied. And why would they be? We should know by now that the far left can and will never be placated. No matter how much wealth government redistributes, it will never be enough.

A left wing advocacy group, “Oregonians for 15,” is unsatisfied with both the amount and phase-in time. They want $15/hr. in three years. They are threatening a State ballot initiative this November if they don’t get what they want.

Justin Norton-Kertson is the groups leader and says the Governor’s measure is “too low and it’s too slow. It’s not insignificant. It’s definitely a victory in its own right but, you know, it’s not what we’ve been fighting for … $15 an hour is really the bare minimum that a family needs without relying on government assistance.” So $14.75 just won’t do? It’s $15 or bust?

Well, if that’s the case, why not make it $20/hr. or $30 or $50? The fact is that the $15/hr. figure is arbitrary. Someone just picked a number and everyone ran with it. It’s low enough as to not look too ridiculous, but high enough to appear to be sticking it to “the man.”

And what will happen when the $15 goal is finally achieved? Will Justin and his gang of “Oregonians for 15” then disband? Don’t be silly. They will just shift their attention to some other perceived malfeasance.

Still, the working poor in Oregon must be happy about it – so happy they will soon be laughing all the way to unemployment line. This is what will occur in Portland and elsewhere in Oregon because it’s happening everywhere the minimum wage has been jacked up.

California has recently seen a slight net increase in jobs, except in Los Angeles, where a citywide $15.37/hr minimum wage was instituted for companies with at least 300 employees. L.A. is losing jobs, which might explain the net increase outside L.A.

“Chicago, which passed a $10 minimum wage last year, and San Francisco, which upped its minimum wage to $12.25, are witnessing five-year lows for employment in economic sectors like leisure and hospitality — areas with a high number of minimum wage workers.”

This will continue to happen all over the country as more cities and states buckle to the left’s cries for a “living wage.” And really, it doesn’t seem to matter what the consequences are. Even those who agree that a hike in the minimum wage will cost jobs somehow legitimize it as the price that must be paid for progress. Oh, not by academic and think tank experts, but by the working poor, being once again used as pawns in the progressive game of redistribution.

Leftist troll Robert Reich even admitted that dramatic minimum wage hikes might risk destroying large numbers of jobs, but “that is a sacrifice worth making so that all workers can be safely out of poverty without government assistance.”

These people are insane. Do they even listen to themselves? How are “all workers” going to benefit when some are now not working at all because of these policies? I’ll bet the unemployed would say they’d rather have a job making less than no job.

Still, regardless of the real world consequences, the left will continue to push for ever higher minimum wages. It’s a feel good policy that sounds compassionate. Despite our bemusement and all evidence against it, the argument for mandated wage hikes works on a whole lot of people.

The reason is simple. Workers making minimum wage make up less than 4% of the overall workforce (most are school-age kids), therefore the overwhelming majority of working Americans will never be personally affected by a job loss due to a mandated wage increase. Until they are, the left will continue to push for ever higher mandates.

The number of Americans not in the labor force exceeded 94 million for the second time in a row last month hitting a new record high, according to new government data released Friday morning. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a record 94,610,000 people (ages 16 and over) were not in the labor force in September. In other words they were neither employed nor had made specific efforts to find work in the prior four weeks.

The number of individuals out of the work force last month — due to discouragement, retirement or otherwise — represented a substantial 579,000 person increase over the most recent record, hit in August, of 94,031,000 people out of the workforce.

While the prior two months saw a labor force participation rate of 62.2 percent, September’s participation rate dropped to 62.4 percent, matching the lowest level seen since October 1977.

The civilian labor force in September clocked in at 156,715,000, declining by 350,000 people, compared to August’s 157,065,000 labor force level.

In total 148,800,000 people were employed last month, 7,915,000 were unemployed, and 5,955,000 people were looking for a job.

Overall the Labor Department reported that the economy added 142,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in September and the unemployment rate remained at 5.1 percent.

The thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted on a daily basis is beginning to disappear, and a new era of chaos and anarchy is coming to our cities.

I don’t know if you have noticed, but violence is increasing on the streets of America. Over Memorial Day weekend, 29 people were shot in Baltimore and 55 people were shot in Chicago. But of course the trend that I am talking about is much broader than that. According to the FBI, the number of police officers “feloniously killed” in the line of duty rose by an astounding 89 percent in 2014. We live at a time when Americans are becoming extremely angry and extremely frustrated, and this is only going to intensify as economic conditions worsen. But already we have seen some of this anger and frustration boil over into violence in Ferguson and in Baltimore. And you know what? The vast majority of Americans expect more of the same in the coming months. According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey that was recently released, 96 percent of all Americans believe that there will be more civil unrest in America this summer. What we have seen up until now is just the warm up act. The main event is still to come.

If things are this bad already, how bad will they be when the next great economic crisis hits this nation and unemployment skyrockets and poverty is everywhere?

That is why I am encouraging people that currently live in the heart of our major cities to consider moving. Unfortunately, most Americans are completely dependent on the jobs that they currently have, so moving is not really a practical option for a lot of people.

For those that cannot move, you are just going to have to get prepared right where you are. That means making your home and your family as unattractive a target to potential criminals as you possibly can. The goal should be to avoid a violent confrontation if at all possible. So you will want multiple layers of security between you and those that would potentially harm you and your family. You want to try to deter the bad guys from ever coming on to your property in the first place, but if they do come, you need to be ready to deal with them.

At the moment, we are still in the midst of relatively stable economic times. But even in these relatively stable times, violence is escalating. Just consider what happened in Baltimore over the recent holiday weekend. A grand total of 29 people were shot…

Police say 29 people were shot, 9 of them killed over this weekend, adding to the record-breaking violence.

The shooting didn’t stop on Monday night after a 9-year-old boy and another man were both injured by gun fire in the 2900 block of Arunah Avenue. Police say the child was shot in the leg and another man suffered a graze wound to the head.

Overall, this past month has been the deadliest month for Baltimore in 15 years.

Things are even worse in the city of Chicago. Over this past weekend, 55 people got shot…

Twelve people were killed and at least 43 — including a 4-year-old girl — were wounded in shootings across Chicago this Memorial Day weekend, police said.

The 4-year-old, identified by her family as Jacele Johnson, was shot about 8 p.m. Friday in the West Englewood neighborhood. She and her 17-year-old cousin Romare Wilson were inside an SUV in the 7000 block of South Justine when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, according to their family and Chicago Police.

Early in April, I went on the record and specifically named Chicago and Baltimore as two of the cities where we would be seeing civil unrest. Since that time we have seen horrible rioting in Baltimore and the violence in Chicago continues to spiral out of control.

Other experts are issuing similar warnings. For example, consider what an assistant professor at New Jersey City University recently had to say…

Urban unrest expert Dr. Max Herman says that the United States is on the “cusp” of a wave of domestic disorder and that the country will see more race riots.

Herman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at New Jersey City University, told the New Republic’s Joel Gillin that the economic downturn, in addition to incidents of police brutality, have provided fertile conditions for civil unrest.

He sees the re-emergence of a 60’s-style “protest ideology” amongst black communities which will lead to more disorder.

“It’s very clear from studying history that these things tend to run in cycles,” said Herman, adding, “I think we are at the cusp of another cycle.”

Author Chris Hedges is saying similar things. The following comes from a recent article about him in the National Post…

The United States is primed for a rebellion. So argues Chris Hedges in his new book, Wages of Rebellion, in which the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and polemicist examines revolts from 1700s to the ending of apartheid in South Africa, as well as the “sublime madness” that drives the people at the centre of such rebellions.

I didn’t write it as a warning or a prediction. I wrote it more as an assessment. I covered disintegrating societies like Yugoslavia. I know how they break down; I know what the warning signs are, so it’s familiar. I don’t think at this point there’s much dispute. Even just the financial indicators in terms of wealth disparity and chronic unemployment. The fact that Congress has a nine-per-cent approval rating. Where I’m coming from, the book is an attempt to explain where we are in this particular historical period.

But it isn’t just that we are entering a new cycle of unrest. Our “leaders” have made things much worse by the decisions that they have made. For instance, Barack Obama’s decision to leave our southern border virtually unguarded has resulted in a massive flood of illegal immigrants coming into this country. As a result, violent gangs that have roots in Central America and South America have mushroomed in size. So now major cities far from the border such as Charlotte, North Carolina are being absolutely terrorized by these gangs…

Authorities Wednesday rounded up 37 MS-13 gang members in Charlotte, N.C., on racketeering conspiracy charges, along with charges of murder, attempted murder and firearms violations. All of them are illegal aliens from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.Several are round-trippers — illegals who broke in once, committed crimes, got deported and broke back into the U.S. — proving that our border is porous and unsecured.

Charlotte police discovered the rat’s nest of foreign gangsters after some of them started shooting up local nightclubs and bars.

In 2015, it isn’t just our own citizens that we need to be concerned about. At this point, many of our biggest cities are absolutely packed to the gills with gangs made up primarily of illegal immigrants. I discussed Chicago earlier. Did you know that it is estimated that approximately 150,000 gang members now live there? When things start really breaking down in this country, those gangs are going to have a field day.

America is changing, and not for the better. And when violence starts sweeping this nation, don’t count on the government to come in and rescue you. After watching what happened in Ferguson and in Baltimore, you should know better than that by now. It is time for the American people to prepare their own homes and their own neighborhoods for the chaos and the violence that is coming. For the moment, things are still relatively stable so we have a little bit of time to prepare, but it won’t last for long.

Affiliate

Blogroll

Alex Jones' INFO WARS. Because there is a war for your mind
The Alex Jones Show is a nationally syndicated news/talk show based out of Austin, TX. The show is syndicated by the Genesis Communication Network on over 60 AM and FM radio stations across the United States, and has a gained a large internet based audien

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

Business

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

Defense Department

Defense One
Defense One delivers news, breaking analysis and ideas on the topics and trends that will define the future of U.S. defense and national security. Our editorial approach is to cover the people and forces shaping a new era for defense through the post-war

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

Family

American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

Military

Defense One
Defense One delivers news, breaking analysis and ideas on the topics and trends that will define the future of U.S. defense and national security. Our editorial approach is to cover the people and forces shaping a new era for defense through the post-war

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

NEWS

Defense One
Defense One delivers news, breaking analysis and ideas on the topics and trends that will define the future of U.S. defense and national security. Our editorial approach is to cover the people and forces shaping a new era for defense through the post-war

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

Opinion

Alex Jones' INFO WARS. Because there is a war for your mind
The Alex Jones Show is a nationally syndicated news/talk show based out of Austin, TX. The show is syndicated by the Genesis Communication Network on over 60 AM and FM radio stations across the United States, and has a gained a large internet based audien

American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame

Defense One
Defense One delivers news, breaking analysis and ideas on the topics and trends that will define the future of U.S. defense and national security. Our editorial approach is to cover the people and forces shaping a new era for defense through the post-war

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

Personal

American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

You Version
Bible Translations, Devotional Tools and Plans, BLOG, free mobile application; notes and more

Political

Alex Jones' INFO WARS. Because there is a war for your mind
The Alex Jones Show is a nationally syndicated news/talk show based out of Austin, TX. The show is syndicated by the Genesis Communication Network on over 60 AM and FM radio stations across the United States, and has a gained a large internet based audien

American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame

Defense One
Defense One delivers news, breaking analysis and ideas on the topics and trends that will define the future of U.S. defense and national security. Our editorial approach is to cover the people and forces shaping a new era for defense through the post-war

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

ZONATION
AlfonZo Rachel is a Christian conservative social / political humorist. His work is distunguished by his grinning delivery and rapid fire rant style in his video commentaries called, ZoNation on PJTV.com. Check out his work with the play list! – See more

Radio

Alex Jones' INFO WARS. Because there is a war for your mind
The Alex Jones Show is a nationally syndicated news/talk show based out of Austin, TX. The show is syndicated by the Genesis Communication Network on over 60 AM and FM radio stations across the United States, and has a gained a large internet based audien

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

Research

Defense One
Defense One delivers news, breaking analysis and ideas on the topics and trends that will define the future of U.S. defense and national security. Our editorial approach is to cover the people and forces shaping a new era for defense through the post-war

Legal Insurrection
Legal Insurrection went live on October 12, 2008, originally at Google Blogger. We hit our one-millionth visit about 11.5 months later, our second million a few months after that, and since then readership and linkage from major websites have grown drama

The Last Refuge
The Conservative Tree House may be called a Last Refuge for each of us for different reasons. Whatever trail through the woods brought us here, we have shared the turmoil of storms as we have been finding our voices as individuals in this growing communit

The REAL SIDE with Joe Messina
Joe takes the issues… especially the controversial issues (politics, prejudice, religion, illegal immigration)… and brings in people from different sides to share their viewpoint. This is definitely not a fluff piece. And while no one is attacked, the

Spiritual

American Family Association
American Family Association (AFA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Southaven, Mississippi, at the time. Since 1977, AFA has been on the frontlines of Ame

Bible Gateway
The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching scripture online — all in the language or translation of your choice! It provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and compare particular passages in scripture based on

ZONATION
AlfonZo Rachel is a Christian conservative social / political humorist. His work is distunguished by his grinning delivery and rapid fire rant style in his video commentaries called, ZoNation on PJTV.com. Check out his work with the play list! – See more